Practicing Mind

Thomas M. Sterner [ Philly NewTech ] Developing Focus and Discipline – Master Any Skill or Challenge by Learning to Love the Process. Activities such as painting, learning music or gaining proficiency in any sport is a skill. But moving through a challenging time such as losing a job, dealing with a difficult colleague at work or managing the hurdles of growing a business are also skills. All of these endeavors require you to choose an overall goal and to learn to use that goal as a rudder to steer your efforts, not as a reminder of what you have yet to accomplish. The secret is in learning that the process of achieving your goals is not something you must endure but instead is where the REAL joy waits to be discovered.

Thomas M. Sterner has studied Eastern and Western philosophy and modern sports psychology and trained as a jazz pianist. For more than twenty-five years, he served as the chief concert piano technician for a major performing arts center. He prepared and maintained the concert grand piano for hundreds of world-renowned (and demanding) musicians and symphony conductors, and his typical workday required constant interaction with highly disciplined and focused artists. At the same time, he operated a piano re-manufacturing facility, rebuilding vintage pianos to factory-new condition.

Sterner has parlayed what he learned from his profession into a love of practice. He is an accomplished musician, private pilot, student of archery, and avid golfer, and practicing these activities fills his spare time. He has also worked in the sound and video arts fields as a recording engineer, audio and video editor and processor, and composer.